first post; 404/Jack's, Reza's

hi all, decided I'd finally post after snooping for weeks. I've lived in the area for almost a year now with my girlfriend, and we love the variety and quality of so many of the local food establishments. anyway, thought I'd start with a quick rundown of some of the places we've eaten in the past week or so. sorry I don't have pics.

got a chance to eat at TAC, loved it, even ordered off Erik M's menu (thanks).

ordered Pat's (extremely) thin crust, of which we are fans though I know some here are not.

had brunch on Saturday at Frontera for the first time. what can I say, everything was incredible. I wish there were more places at the same price point with such attentive service and attention to detail.

404 wine bar/Jack's bar and grill - I only found one short post on this, so I'll elaborate a little more. we ate in the wine bar area, for which I'm thankful because of the lesser amounts of smoke and noise. we ordered the chicken pot pie and a chicken and mushroom pasta, along with a nice tart Oregon Pinot Noir. the food was better than I expected, tasted fresh and nicely balanced flavors. good comfort food for around $10. my biggest complaint is that at a self-proclaimed wine bar with a large selection, why is it that they serve all wines in the same cheap glasses? white wine glasses at that, and filled almost to the brim leaving no room to swirl or smell. I guess it's pretty obvious what type of crowd they're trying to attract.

Reza's - from what I could tell, this place has been around a while. we ate at the Ontario location with a group of about 8 including 2 little kids, and they were quite accomodating. we ordered a variety of standard fare, such as kebabs and lentil soup. it was enjoyable, but didn't stand out in my mind among other middle eastern restaurants. two detractors were the amount of salt in everything and the vast mountains of rice that no one could possibly hope to eat in one sitting - what's the point, to fill up the plate?

Pat's Pizza
3114 N. Sheffield Ave.
773-248-0168

404 Wine Bar/Jack's Bar and Grill
2852 N. Southport Ave.
773-404-5886
M-F 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
Sat. 5 p.m.-3 a.m.
Closed Sunday

Reza's
432 W. Ontario St.
312-664-4500
5255 N. Clark St.
773-561-1898
7 days 11 a.m.-midnight

partytickets wrote:Reza's - from what I could tell, this place has been around a while. we ate at the Ontario location with a group of about 8 including 2 little kids, and they were quite accomodating. we ordered a variety of standard fare, such as kebabs and lentil soup. it was enjoyable, but didn't stand out in my mind among other middle eastern restaurants. two detractors were the amount of salt in everything and the vast mountains of rice that no one could possibly hope to eat in one sitting - what's the point, to fill up the plate?

Welcome to LTH.

I think you've hit the nail on the head for reza's. It's not spectacular, or even above average, but it's very accomodating for large groups, and for people who are less enthusiastic about middle eastern food.

For much better persian, try Noon O Kebab, on Kedzie a block south of Lawrence. Make reservations, though, as there is nearly always a wait. It's a much smaller space, and it doesn't have the same vibe as Reza's, but the food is better and it's a litlte more comfortable to me. If you try to walk-in and meet a long wait, head 6 or 7 doors south and go to Semiramis for great lebanese food instead.

I've been known to clean my plate at Reza's, including rice, but I usually don't -- mostly because their dill rice isn't as good as it could be.

partytickets wrote:Reza's - from what I could tell, this place has been around a while. we ate at the Ontario location with a group of about 8 including 2 little kids, and they were quite accomodating. we ordered a variety of standard fare, such as kebabs and lentil soup. i

Reza's isn't a bad choice if you have a large, picky group that might include kids. It's usually so loud in there, any kid noise won't make any difference. If you ever find yourself back there, try the fessenjan - the sauce is made from pomegranates and nuts, and is really quite good. I think you can get it with Cornish game hen or duck. They also serve pretty decent tea.

I can't bring myself to go to the Reza's on Ontario, because I lament the closing of its former incarnation as Sieben's Brewery. Anyone know whereto get great beer these days with complimentary pretzels and mustard (other than my house)?

partytickets wrote:404 wine bar/Jack's bar and grill - I only found one short post on this, so I'll elaborate a little more. we ate in the wine bar area, for which I'm thankful because of the lesser amounts of smoke and noise. we ordered the chicken pot pie and a chicken and mushroom pasta, along with a nice tart Oregon Pinot Noir. the food was better than I expected, tasted fresh and nicely balanced flavors. good comfort food for around $10.

Some friends introduced me to Jack's chicken pot pie this winter. During wintertime, it is an almost weekly indulgence for them. I thought it was quite good, both of times that I ordered it. From what I gather, it has quite a following.

Thanks for the rundown and welcome to LTH,
Erik M.

nr706 wrote:I can't bring myself to go to the Reza's on Ontario, because I lament the closing of its former incarnation as Sieben's Brewery. Anyone know whereto get great beer these days with complimentary pretzels and mustard (other than my house)?

Miller's Pub on Wabash in the loop always has pretzels w/ mustard... decent beers.

I live near Jack's and stop in regularly. It's a quality neighborhood bar and draws a good crowd. I like the people and convenience to my house, but I'm indifferent to their food. The wine list has plenty of reasonably priced wines, but the selection is uneven. I'd like to see them add a good mid-priced Rhone to the list (alas, I've voiced my opinion to no effect). You probably got the best choice in the pot pie, though the cheese plate currently has a brie and a goat cheese on it that are both good. The hamburger at Sidestreet's a block west (George and Greenview) is better, I think. If I'm driving for pub food, I'll take Chief O'Neill's on Elston or the Wild Goose on Lincoln (which, oddly, is owned by a guy from Naples and has pictures of the great Neapolitan actor Toto' on the wall in back).